Vanellope's Bug Problem
by E1craZ4life
Summary: Wreck-It Ralph interquel based on my oneshot "Cy-Bug Vanellope". The Core Four are handling themselves just fine, but Ralph is concerned that Vanellope might be in need of treatment from Sergeant Calhoun. But finding solutions may require some risky research.
1. Chapter 1

**Vanellope's Bug Problem  
** Chapter One

* * *

Ralph sighed as he walked through Game Central Station with Vanellope on his shoulder. "Kid, how many times have I told you it's not polite to stare at people?"

"I was staring at the light over there, Captain Sardine Salad."

"They're still gonna think you're staring at them." He reached the entrance to _Fix-It Felix Jr._ "And you've been staring at every light in Grand Central Station ever since you were able to leave your game, and walking toward it when you weren't on my shoulder."

The buzzer sounded as Ralph crossed the threshold of the plug, and the Surge Protector was on the scene. "Names?"

"Wreck-It Ralph."

"Vanellope von Schweetz."

"And where are you coming from?"

" _Sugar Rush_."

" _Sugar Rush_."

"Did you bring any candy with you?"

"Nope."

"Just what's in my hair. Nothing else."

"And where are you headed?"

" _Fix-It Felix Jr."_

"G'doi."

"Reason for travel?"

"It's my game."

"To pick up Felix for _Tappers_."

"Anything to declare?"

"I hate you."

"Your glow is beautiful."

"26 times and counting. Proceed."

As soon as the Surge Protector was gone, Ralph shook his head. "What's so beautiful about light all of a sudden? It's always daytime in _Sugar Rush_!"

"What are you talking about?"

Ralph was stupefied. "You keep staring at things that produce light, kid!"

"It hasn't gotten in the way of my racing."

Ralph facepalmed and loaded Vanellope and himself in the train to _Fix-It Felix Jr._ "That's not the point! It's like Surge said, you've mentioned his glow every time he stops us for a so-called 'random' security check! And you act like your thing for light doesn't exist when nothing's glowing!"

Vanellope locked eyes with the wrecker as they headed through the power cord. "Hey, look, Stinkbrain. If it doesn't stop me from being a racer during arcade hours, it's not a problem."

Ralph sighed. "Look, I'm just trying to look out for you, kid."

They reached the game, where Fix-It Felix was waiting at the station.

"Hey, Felix."

"Hello, Ralph. Vanellope."

Vanellope teleported to the station roof. "Boy, am I excited for tomorrow's races!"

"Yeah, you did good at the Roster Race, Waffle Dress."

"So, who's on the roster for tomorrow?"

"I made it to first place, and then there's Taffyta, Gloyd, Jubileena, Rancis, Swizzle, Candlehead, Snowanna, and Minty."

"Cool. Sounds like tomorrow's gonna be a fun day."

Ralph nodded. "So, what's new with you and Calhoun?"

"Well, you probably heard about the player who reached the final boss of _Hero's Duty_."

Vanellope snickered. "Yeah, he got himself in deep doody!"

"You can say that again."

"I don't know if I was more surprised by the final boss of _Hero's Duty_ or finding out that King Candy was Turbo."

"Yeah, so I was going to meet up with her at _Tappers_ tonight and ask her about that."

Ralph nodded. "Yeah, I did have a few questions for Calhoun myself."

"About what?"

"I'll explain when we get there."

Felix looked at Vanellope. "Uh, Ralph?"

"I know, I know, I know. She's just going for Calhoun to look at her."

Vanellope was in the dark. "What?"

"We don't want you making a mess on the track tomorrow, Fart Feathers."

"Right. That's probably something Turbutt would've done."

"Calhoun might be able to figure out if my hunch about you is correct."

Felix shrugged. "I've heard stories of him frequenting _Tappers_ before he went Turbo."

Vanellope laughed. "'Going Turbo'? Sounds as scary as the Fungeon."

"You and Felix got locked up in there."

"I was talking about the names sounding cool, even though they're anything but cool."

Felix nodded. "Yeah, Calhoun was the first person to whom I had to explain the namesake incident behind 'going Turbo'."

"I think Turbo might have gone to Tappers secretly even after trashing _RoadBlasters_." Vanellope provided a napkin with a code written on it.

Ralph took a glance. "What's that?"

"I found it in one of my dresser drawers the day before Felix's wedding. Sour Bill told me that Turbo used this to get into the game's code room."

Felix was surprised. "How did he get this code?"

Vanellope shrugged. "Turbutt wasn't going to blab all his secrets for everyone to hear, was he?" She teleported into the train. "I think Sarge is waiting for us at _Tappers_. Or at least one or both of you two headbonkers."

Felix climbed into the train, sharing cars with Vanellope.

As they headed off, Vanellope looked to Felix. "Although I might know how he got the code to my game's code room."


	2. Chapter 2

**Vanellope's Bug Problem**  
Chapter Two

* * *

The trio made it to Game Central Station and saw Sergeant Calhoun waiting at the entrance to _Tappers_.

Vanellope was the first to call to her. "Evening, Sargeant!"

Calhoun looked to Ralph and Felix. "Evening, boys."

They crossed the threshold of _Tappers_ 's plug, and the buzzer went off.

The Surge Protector appeared. "Names?"

"Wreck-It Ralph."

"Fix-It Felix Jr."

"Vanellope von Schweetz."

"Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun."

"And where are you coming from?"

"We're coming from _Fix-It Felix Jr._ "

"I'm coming from _Hero's Duty_."

"Did you bring any bricks with you?"

"Nope."

"Any Cy-Bugs?"

"Negatory."

"And where are you off to?"

" _Tappers_."

"Reason for travel?"

"Dining out."

"Anything to declare?"

"I hate you."

"Nothing."

"Your glow is beautiful."

"Surge Protector my rifle handle."

"28 times and counting. Proceed."

Calhoun looked quizzically at Vanellope as the Surge Protector disappeared. "Did you say that every time you got stopped by the Surge Protector? (As bad of a security guard he is.)"

Ralph nodded. "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that."

"What do you mean?"

"She's been staring at lights and walking toward them ever since she was able to leave her game."

"After that Cy-Bug invasion you started, you mean?"

"Yeah, don't remind me."

"Yeah, I'd been looking into that myself to see if there were any lasting effects from her becoming a Cy-Bug. What's getting in the way of finding conclusive answers is the risks involved in gathering data."

Ralph nodded. "Right. Cy-Bugs are much more dangerous outside _Hero's Duty_ , and characters that die outside their games don't regenerate."

"Exactly. I already know what happens when a Cy-Bug eats a soldier in my game because I'm the final boss of _Hero's Duty_."

"Yeah, we saw that today."

"It was quite a surprise."

"Wait, you mean you get eaten by a Cy-Bug at the end of your game and the player has to fight you to win?"

"In a nutshell, yeah."

Vanellope was awestruck. "Awesome!"

Calhoun turned a flat face to Vanellope. "You of all people should know that being turned into a Cy-Bug is anything but 'awesome'."

"I meant being the final boss of your game."

Ralph chuckled. "I guess if you gotta be the final boss of your game, it'd be great to start out as a good guy."

"Yeah, so, unless that mangy dog Turbo somehow resurfaces, I'm not gonna experiment to figure out what the boundaries are for Cy-Bug hybrid regeneration." That's when the group reached _Tappers_. "Assuming he's the same Turbo that swiped Vanellope's game from her."

Vanellope approached the waitress. "Table for four, please."

"Right this way." The waitress brought them to a booth in the corner of the room.

Once they were seated and the waitress had left to get their drinks, Calhoun started probing Vanellope.

"Now, granted, you're the only non- _Hero's Duty_ character (as far as I know, anyway) to be eaten by a Cy-Bug, and your restoration was down to unique circumstances, but it's possible that one or more of your fellow racers was eaten by a Cy-Bug and flew into that beacon that you managed to avoid at the last second. I'm not saying that that was the case, but when you get home, I want you to figure out if that happened to anyone in your game. That being said, I want to know if there are any traces of Cy-Bug still in your code, and what effect, if any, it's having if there is."

"So, how do you plan on finding out?"

"I do have a few tests in mind, but we'd probably need to do them in your game just in case."

"Right, don't want to die outside my game. Although I can say first hand that glitches can regenerate in their games."

Ralph nodded. "Or at least someone whose code someone tried but failed to delete."

"Yeah. If glitches couldn't regenerate even in their own games, I'd have been killed long before now, either by my wandering around _Sugar Rush_ or being killed by Turbo."

The waitress returned with drinks for everyone. Once she headed off to serve other customers, Ralph looked to Vanellope.

"I dunno, kid. There's not much Turbo could've done to kill you without ruining his King Candy image."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Ralph. If he could lock up everybody's memories, he'd have had a lot of options for trying to eliminate me for good."

Calhoun picked up her drink. "So, how did Turbo get into your game, anyway? Do you remember?"

Vanellope nodded and took a sip from her drink. "Well, it all started the day my game was plugged in..."


	3. Chapter 3

**Vanellope's Bug Problem  
** Chapter Three

* * *

 _I had just finished the Random Roster Race with my fellow racers, and the racers who would represent the day's avatars had been chosen, so we were free to go about our business as we pleased. I decided to drive around the track for the fun of it._

 _As I was driving, I heard another kart behind me. I_ _had barely turned around to see who it was before I heard the driver's voice. "TURBO-TASTIC!"_

 _The sight of a dried-up face in a helmet holding out a thumbs up nearly sent me off the track._

 _I was able to stay on the track and gunned forward, trying to outrun the monster that had appeared behind me. He stayed on my trail all the way to the finish line, which I crossed first._

 _Everyone else had gone home, so it was just me and the Formula One driver from beyond the grave on the racetrack. I wasn't sure if what had just happened was a race or a chase, but he was definitely not a part of my game._

 _I could tell he wasn't used to driving through an obstacle course, and he wiped out while driving around a giant gumdrop. That's when I decided it was safe to confront him and ask him why he was in my game._

 _"Hey, mister!"_

 _He poked his head out of the cockpit of his kart and climbed out._

 _"Hello."_

 _"Evening." He pulled his foot loose._

 _"What's your name?"_

 _"I'm Turbo."_

 _"You're not from here, are you?"_

 _"What was your first clue?"_

 _"Alright, bub. You got 10 seconds to tell me what you're doing here before I send you to the Fungeon."_

 _"Fungeon?"_

 _"My dungeon. Get it? It's a play on words? Fun? Dungeon?"_

 _"I get the joke, kid. It just doesn't sound intimidating if you catch my drift."_

 _"That's the idea."_

 _"You must be the one in charge here."_

 _"Depends on how you define 'in charge'."_

 _"The ruler of the game? The main character? The player avatar?"_

 _"Yes, somewhat, one of nine when I make the board."_

 _"Uh... didn't quite catch all that."_

 _"I'm Princess Vanellope von Schweetz, the lead character of Sugar Rush, the sweetest racing game ever!"_

 _"Kinda hard not to notice. I can taste the sugar in the air." He started to walk away.  
_

 _"Hey." I appeared in front of him. "Are you a hobo?"_

 _Turbo looked back, confused at how I was in front of him. "Why would I be?"_

 _"You drive like a girl."_

 _"Look who's talking."_

 _"As in a girl was driving you."_

 _"Oh. Well, I haven't driven for more than 10 years, especially not on a track of this magnitude."_

 _"Old school racer, huh?"_

 _"An original of Litwak's arcade, actually._ TurboTime _."_

 _"I see."_

 _"Um... you don't suppose you could show me to your castle?"_

 _"Sorry, I didn't catch that; I was distracted by the sickening shine of your eyes and teeth."_

 _"Look, I'm trying to be nice..."_

 _"I'm thrying to be nithe!"_

 _There was a pause._

 _"You're mimicking me."_

 _"You're mimicking me!"_

 _"Okay."_

 _"Ahkay!"_

 _"That is rude..."_

 _"That ith ruthe..."_

 _"...and this conversation is over."_

 _"...and thith converthathion ith over! Hey, why is your face so freakishly white?"_

 _"I dunno, why are you so freakishly annoying?"_

 _"Well, why are you so freakishly - - "_

 _Two new voices interrupted me._

 _"Is everything alright here?"_

 _"We heard a crash out here."_

 _It was Wynnchel and Duncan._

 _"Yeah, everything's fine. Just interrogating a foreigner about his intentions here."_

 _"Is everything under control, Princess?"_

 _"For now. I'll let you know if I need help."_

 _"Alright. When you're done, Sour Bill is waiting for you at the castle."_

 _"Thanks, guys."_

 _As soon as they were gone, Turbo picked up talking again._

 _"Well, you should probably go figure out what this Sour Bill fellow is waiting on you for, mademoiselle."_

 _"I think I will. Once I decide what to do with you, that is."_

 _"I just need a place to live. I've been without a game for 10 years, and nobody's taken me in during that time."_

 _"Which is why I'm taking you to the Fungeon to figure out why that's so."_

 _"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm sure we can just talk things out here."_

 _"Cool your honeybuns, Turbo. Nobody's gonna hurt you. I just want to have you somewhere where I can figure out what kind of guy you are and how much you can be trusted."_

 _"Oh, well, why didn't you say so?"_

 _"I was going to. Now let's go."_

 _I tied our wrists together with licorice and we got into my kart, and then made course for my castle._

 _"I must say, this is a sweet ride you've got here, Princess."_

 _"They call this place_ Sugar Rush _for a reason."_

 _We both laughed as we approached the castle._


	4. Chapter 4

**Vanellope's Bug Problem**  
Chapter Four

* * *

"So, let me get this straight." Calhoun took a sip from her drink. "You're telling me that that psycho racer actually went up to you asking for a way into your game's code room?"

Vanellope nodded. "His story did seem wobbly for the most part, but all my guards and servants (except Wynchel and Duncan) were in my castle, so I was really left to my own devices with Turbutt."

Ralph leaned on the table. "He admitted to being in your game because his game was unplugged, and he still managed to get past you?"

"I was planning to lock him up in the Fungeon until I could figure out what I was supposed to do with him, or at the very least have one of my guards go and find someone to decide on a course of action, as soon as I got to the castle."

Felix jumped on the table. "How about we go back to _Sugar Rush_ to continue this?"

Calhoun thought that was reasonable. "Yeah, we're gonna have to go there at some point tonight to diagnose Vanellope's bug problem."

Vanellope looked to Calhoun. "What bug problem?"

Ralph sighed and walked over to Darth Vader. "Can I borrow that for just a sec, Vader?"

He held out Vader's light saber and turned it on, holding it in place.

Within seconds, Vanellope started zombie-walking toward the light saber with a mesmerized look in his eyes.

Ralph turned off the light saber when Vanellope was right in front of him and returned it to Darth Vader.

Calhoun took note. "Yeah, we better get to _Sugar Rush_ ASAP."

* * *

"Names?"

"Wreck-It Ralph."

"Vanellope von Schweetz."

"Fix-It Felix Jr."

"Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun."

"And where are you coming from?"

" _Tappers_."

"Did you bring any root beer with you?"

"Nope."

"Negatory."

"And where are you headed?"

" _Sugar Rush_."

"Reason for travel?"

"Finish an assessment of the effects of the Cy-Bug invasion on _Sugar Rush_."

"Anything to declare?"

"I hate you."

"Your glow is beautiful."

"Nothing."

"You're still a lousy Surge Protector."

"30 times and counting. Proceed."

As the group headed into the game, Vanellope look to Calhoun. "So, what's the plan, Sarge?"

Calhoun led the group into the gingerbread train to the game. "Well, the first thing we need to do is figure out if there's any trace of Cy-Bug still in your code."

Ralph took a seat in the last car with Felix. "So, how are we going to do that?"

Calhoun started explaining as the train headed down the tunnel. "Our first task will be to figure out what Vanellope's normal state of mind is. Since it's most likely that Turbo's hacking has skewed with the racers' memories even now, since they spent almost all their lives worshiping a false idol, the most we'd likely get from them is whether or not any of them were eaten by Cy-Bugs."

Felix could see why that was important. "Yeah, you would know first hand the effects of being eaten by a Cy-bug and how it would influence your mind."

"Right. So, Vanellope would've had comparable changes while she was a Cy-Bug, and because her restoration was the result of the entire game resetting and her code being reintegrated into the game, as opposed to being killed by a beacon or what have you and subsequently regenerating, as happens with me in my game, there might still be traces of Cy-Bug in her programming at this moment. But we won't know for sure if that's the case until we run some experiments."

"What kind of experiments?" Vanellope asked.

The train reached the bottom of the Rainbow Bridge, and the passengers disembarked. "I already have a list of changes that I go through when I get eaten by a Cy-Bug, and I was going to go through them one by one to see if any of them apply to you."

As they walked by the finish line, the group heard the sounds of go-karts approaching.

Vanellope smiled as her fellow racers drew near. "Yeah, nothing like a quick stretch around the track."

Calhoun took to the sidelines with the others. "Don't forget what I told you to ask about."

"Right." She hopped in her go-kart, which was parked nearby under watch of Sour Bill, and joined in the karts speeding by.

As Vanellope disappeared from view, Felix looked to Calhoun. "So, what are signs of Cy-Bug data in someone's code?"

"There are symptoms that being a Cy-Bug causes in one's code. Granted, these are only how I change when a Cy-Bug gets me, and so far, there's only ever been one case of a Cy-Bug escaping from my game, so this may or may not be a complete list, and nobody knows the full implications of a non- _Hero's Duty_ character having some trace of Cy-Bug in their code. But the more symptoms they have, the greater the danger."

Ralph nodded. "So, what are the symptoms?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Vanellope's Bug Problem  
** Chapter Five

* * *

"So, as I'm sure you know, Cy-Bugs are attracted to bright lights. You already showed that being present with Vanellope at _Tappers_ when you had Darth Vader's light saber in hand."

Felix looked to his wife. "So, anything that produces light would attract a Cy-Bug?"

"If it's bright enough, yes. I haven't had a chance to see exactly what kind of lights would attract a Cy-Bug, and there's not a lot that can be done to find definitive answers in that regard."

"So, what else is there?" Ralph asked.

"Cy-Bug hybrids become more aggressive than the assimilated victim; the degree to which that happens varies depending on the type of Cy-Bug and the victim's original personality. The Cy-Bug that eats me for the final battle of my game is the Queen Cy-Bug, so I get a really dark personality shift. My last cutscene has me trying to destroy the Queen Cy-Bug with the most powerful weapon I have, which gets assimilated into the Cy-Bug that eats me and is used against the player in the final battle."

Ralph let off a long whistle. "So, how do those battles play out for you?"

"Well, the game has to be winnable for the player, and so the building itself functions as the weapons used against me. The player has to lure me into webs of exposed wires, topple crates onto me, detonate explosives littering the area, and utilize heavy machinery to defeat me and win the game. The Cy-Bug programming does warp my mind, so I put up quite a fight against the players as the boss."

Ralph contemplated the information. "Well, Vanellope only showed aggression against Turbo when she was a Cy-Bug, beating up on him on the racetrack and trying to use him to set off Diet Cola Mountain instead of having me set it off, and drowning him in the geyser when she got attracted to it."

Felix remembered another detail. "The Cy-Bug must've eaten Vanellope's kart together with Vanellope; she was partly covered in frosting from her kart as a Cy-Bug."

Calhoun looked to Ralph. "She didn't try to kill you as a Cy-Bug, Wreck-It?"

Ralph shook his head. "She just tried to stop me from setting off Diet Cola Mountain, but she probably did it because she didn't know if she would've regenerated afterwards. Or because I couldn't have survived the eruption. Or both. We'll have to ask her when she gets back."

"Is there anything else that comes with being a Cy-Bug hybrid?"

"There's one other thing I can think of, which is that the victim almost always embraces their Cy-Bug form, which I would surmise would likely manifest itself in Vanellope as a desire to become a Cy-Bug again and/or try to act out Cy-Bug behaviors like trying to fly, eat something that was part of their Cy-Bug form (whether or not it's edible), or be quicker to anger than normal."

Ralph nodded. "You also wanted to know if any of the other racers were eaten by Cy-Bugs, and what they went through if any of them were, right?"

"Affirmative. Not that I'm hoping that that happened, but it'd make finding answers somewhat easier if that's the case."

* * *

While this was happening, Vanellope and her fellow racers were chatting as they drove along the racetracks.

"Hey, Vanny, I saw Ralph, Felix, and Callie at the finish line when you joined us."

"Yeah, Sarge wanted to look around the game to see if there was anything those Cy-Bugs did that didn't get fixed after the reset."

"Like what?"

"Is your new power giving you trouble?"

"Nah, that's going fine."

"I don't think you ever told us what happened in the game while we were gone."

"No, I didn't. And I did want to ask if anyone wasn't able to escape the game in one piece."

"I reckon you didn't?"

"That's correct."

"Who was King Candy, anyway?"

"He was a virus spawned by an older game. His name was Turbo."

"What game was that?"

"It was called _TurboTime_ , the first racing game in Litwak's arcade."

"How did he take control of this game?"

"I'll explain once we all reach the finish line."

"Got it."

* * *

The fleet of go-karts reached the finish line a short time later.

"So, who was this Turbo guy, Vanellope?"

The glitch looked at Calhoun. "Did you want to get your questions out of the way first, or should I pick up where I left off?"

Calhoun propped herself against one of the stands. "You can go on with your storytelling, President."

Vanellope huddled the racers together. "So, here's how it all went down..."


	6. Chapter 6

**Vanellope's Bug Problem  
** Chapter Six

* * *

 _I had apprehended Turbo on the racetrack and was taking him to the Fungeon so I could to figure out what I should do with him._

 _"So, what were you doing out on the track with me, Turbo?"_

 _"I was hoping to get a sense of my surroundings in this game."_

 _"Well, the game is only designed to cycle through 15 racers, so you can't really be part of the game as an avatar."_

 _"I did some research on game coding during my 10 years outside TurboTime, and have formulated ways of incorporating the codes of foreign characters into the code of a game."_

 _"Well, the code room isn't open to just anyone, nor are its whereabouts. Even I don't know where it is."_

 _"I figured as much. But I might know where the entrance to the code room is in this game."_

 _"How do I know you're not trying to throw something over my head?"_

 _"I'm not sure what you mean."_

 _"If you knew where the code room was, you'd be there by now making it your own game and wouldn't have come up to me and risked being caught by my guards who will no doubt think you're here to ruin this game."_

 _Turbo looked around, unsure if I was telling him what was happening at that moment. "What I'm saying is that you might need some guidance with handling your game's popularity when it becomes the arcade's greatest game."_

 _"What makes you think it'll reach that point?"_

 _"I know the best secrets to getting a racing game to the top shelf. I'll be willing to share them with you if I can get to your game's code room."_

 _"I told you, I don't know where my game's code room is."_

 _"But I've got an idea where it's most likely to be."_

 _"Even if I knew where it was, I'm not going to let you in there and fudge around with everything."_

 _"I don't expect you to. I'm just saying that I might know of a way to be able to integrate myself into this game using the code that already exists in this game."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"I'll explain everything when we get to the Fungeon."_

 _I started driving faster at that point, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible._

* * *

 _We made it to the Fungeon, and I sealed the two of us in the main cell. Undoing the licorice that tied Turbo's wrist to mine, I gestured to the bench within. "Have a seat."_

 _Turbo complied. _"Alright, so, my strategy revolves around the coding of your backstory."__

 _"My backstory?"_

 _"The main character of a video game has a backstory to explain who they are and how they got to where they are in the game. Naturally, since you're the Princess, your backstory will have its own separate code to go with it."_

 _I couldn't help but laugh. "My game hasn't even been played yet; how am I supposed to have a backstory?"_

 _"Kid, it's just a story that sculpts your personality. Every player avatar in the arcade has their own backstory." He got up and walked to the middle of the cell. "My backstory was about my father, who sold racing karts. He taught me and my brothers, Jet and Set, how to drive, and encouraged us to settle conflicts by racing."_

 _"I take it you were the best of them at racing?"_

 _"Yep. Which meant that I came out on top almost all the time."_

 _"Yeah, you definitely have the mindset of a guy who only knows what it's like to win."_

 _"You might also qualify, since today's your first day being plugged in."_

 _"At least I don't let it get to my head."_

 _"Believe me, even the most innocent souls can become corrupted by power."_

 _"How do you mean?"_

 _"When a game gains high rank in popularity with gamers, the player character (or characters in multiplayer games) can become obsessed with the attention they get from players, oftentimes letting it get to their head. As new games roll in and out, the arcade's number one game can change in an instant. And if a character isn't braced for a sudden loss of the spotlight, the sudden change can spur them to drastic actions."_

 _"Like what?"_

 _"Trying to get their attention back by any means possible, even abandoning their own game and sabotaging the game that trumped their spotlight."_

 _"Let me guess. You did just that for those exact reasons?"_

 _"As much as it pains me to say it, yes. Both games were put out of order for good, and everyone thinks I'm dead, using my story as an example of the dangers of game jumping for the purpose of taking over a foreign game, which has come to be known as 'going Turbo'."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Vanellope's Bug Problem  
** Chapter Seven

* * *

The racers were mystified at the story being told.

"Wait a minute." Ralph looked to Vanellope. "Are you saying that Turbo was able to take over your game even after he admitted to getting two games taken out of order?"

Vanellope held her hands up. "Hey, the guy looked like he was trying to reform himself. He's a whiz at playing with people's emotions, okay?"

Ralph nodded. "Don't I know it?"

Felix scratched his head. "Did he ever tell you how he survived his game jump?"

Vanellope nodded. "Yeah, that was one of my first questions I asked him in the Fungeon." She hopped up onto the hood on her kart. "He probably knew that it was possible to lock away memories, considering everything he told me."

Ralph rubbed his chin. "He must've thought that you wouldn't remember anything after he'd taken over the game."

Vanellope shrugged. "I guess. But he definitely had an edge in that he could tell a 'filtered truth' to get past the game's defenses."

Calhoun had her gaze on a Cy-Bug sensor in her hand. "Not to mention that he was infiltrating a game populated with children and living sugary treats."

Felix was confused. "What are you doing, Tammy?"

Calhoun looked around the area. "Somehow, I get the feeling that there's something that wasn't fixed by the game's reset."

Felix looked to his wife. "What do you mean?"

Ralph nodded. "Yeah, Vanellope is back where she belongs, all the racers have stopped bullying her, and the gamers are all having a blast with her."

"But Turbo might be still alive."

Vanellope was confused. "Why would he be? I flew him into that volcano that wiped out all the Cy-Bugs except for me."

"That's where I have my doubts." Calhoun showed the group a tracker device she had been looking at. "I was getting an anomalous reading from this area here."

"Diet Cola Mountain?"

Calhoun nodded. "I'm not sure what it is, but it's definitely not part of this game."

Ralph looked at the screen. "Do you think it's a Cy-Bug?"

"Judging by the way it seems to be staying in one place at the moment, I wouldn't say it is, but there's only one way to find out for sure."

Vanellope nodded. "I know my way around there, and you're gonna need me to get in and out of there, Callie." She turned to her assistant. "Sour Bill, if you could make sure everyone gets home safely."

"Mm-hmm."

"So, I'm guessing the four of us should check out Diet Cola Mountain?"

"We might as well. Just remember to stay on guard at all times."

"Yes, ma'am."

Calhoun laid out her cruiser. "Fix-It?"

Felix hopped on behind her, and they took off for Diet Cola Mountain.

Ralph placed Vanellope on his shoulder and started the trek to what used to be the girl's lodgings.

"So, Sergeant was going over what she thought might be present in someone with Cy-Bug data in their code."

"I told you I'm fine, Ralph. There's nothing to worry about."

"We'll let Calhoun be the judge of that."

* * *

Felix and Calhoun were waiting at the base of Diet Cola Mountain.

"So, what do you think is the bigger priority at the moment?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you more concerned about the possibility of Turbo being still alive, or figuring out if Vanellope has some sort of bug?"

"Well, they're both problems that require immediate attention, but given what we know so far about Turbo, if he is still alive, it's almost certainly a matter of time before he tries to take over a game for himself, whether it's this game or another game."

"Yeah, I can see your point."

"And even if my hunch is correct, that problem would only affect this one game."

Felix nodded. "I see you got a tracker that works in this game."

Calhoun nodded. "Yeah, I took the liberty of scouting out all the games in the arcade and designing trackers that can function properly in each of those environments. Just in case another Cy-Bug gets loose from my game or someone ends up going Turbo."

Ralph and Vanellope reached the mountain at that point.

Calhoun packed away her tracker. "Alright, let's go in."

Vanellope nodded. "Alright. Ralph, you hold onto me and Felix. Callie will grab your back."

Calhoun looked to Vanellope quizzically. "What's that supposed to accomplish?"

"We need to all be touching for me to be able to phase us all through the wall."

Calhoun understood what she was getting at and grabbed onto Ralph's shoulders. "Ready."

Vanellope looked to Ralph. "Full speed ahead, Captain Skunktail!"

Ralph charged headfirst at the wall, and Vanellope glitched them through.


	8. Chapter 8

**Vanellope's Bug Problem  
** Chapter Eight

* * *

Felix and Calhoun didn't know what they expected when Ralph charged at the arch made by the two sugar-free lollipops. Naturally, they were on edge until they were glitched through the wall by Vanellope.

As soon as they recovered, Calhoun had her tracker in hand and was marching forward, the area lit up only by the dim glow of the super hot Diet Cola.

Vanellope glitched in front of her, taking in the sights of what was left of her old home.

"Hold up, Sprinkle Toes." Calhoun pointed the tracker where the strange reading was coming from. "We need to figure out what's in here before we go wandering around like we own the place."

"I used to own this place before Ralph came along." Vanellope ran toward the hot spring. "The track he made is still here."

Ralph looked up. "And all the Mentos are back in place."

Felix looked around. "Jimminy jamminy. You used to live here, Vanellope?"

The girl nodded. "It was the best place I could find where no one could find me, and I couldn't leave the game because Turbo made me a glitch."

Ralph sighed. "I sure hope Turbo's dead. The last thing we need is another game shaken up by him."

Calhoun walked over to a sponge cake covered in candy wrappers. "I'm getting a reading from this area here."

Vanellope shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. That's what I used for a bed when I was here."

"Wreck-It, stay over by the entrance and keep watch."

Ralph nodded and headed down.

Calhoun drew her weapon as she approached the spot where the mystery entity was hidden.

Vanellope reached for the candy wrappers on the bed. "There's definitely something in the bed."

Felix saw a red shoe sticking out from the wrapper. "You may be right, Tammy."

Calhoun immediately jumped in front of Vanellope and whisked the wrappers off the cake bed, revealing that Calhoun's prediction was correct.

"It's Turbo!"

Turbo snapped awake and scrambled for the exit, his progress halted by Ralph.

Vanellope was the first to reach him. "I thought I flew you into that beacon!"

Calhoun produced a pair of handcuffs and put them on Turbo's wrists. "I don't know how you got here, but I know where you're going next."

"Whoa, hey! No need to be so rough!"

Vanellope glared at Turbo. "Alright, Skull-Face. What are you doing in here?"

"I was trying to find a way out of this place after you seized my kingdom."

"Your kingdom? I don't see your name written on it."

Ralph chuckled. "She's got a point. They called your game _TurboTime_ for a reason."

"Shut up, Ralph."

"So, how are you still alive if I flew you into that lava stack?"

"All I know is that the geyser fizzled out before you could go into the light."

"Well, just count yourself lucky that I'm not a Cy-Bug anymore, because otherwise I'd be tearing you limb from limb right now."

"Kid, just let it go."

"Why should I? He stole my game from me after trashing two other games, and I guarantee you he's going to do it again if he ever gets the chance!"

"Which is why his next stop is going to be _Hero's Duty_ maximum security prison." Calhoun summoned the walkie-talkie on her wrist. "Kohut. I need an escort for a virus from _Sugar Rush_ to the maximum security prison."

A voice responded punctually. "Copy that, Sergeant. Dispatching an escort now."

"Meet at the base of Diet Cola Mountain within the game."

"Roger."

Calhoun turned to Vanellope. "It'd probably be a good idea to wait at the game entrance so you can guide him here."

"Right." Vanellope zapped out of the mountain and waited for the escort.

* * *

The escort from _Hero's Duty_ arrived within minutes, and they soon had Turbo on his way to maximum security prison. The other racers had gotten wind of it all and had gathered at the finish line to watch.

Taffyta was the first to speak once Turbo was gone. "Was that Turbo?"

"Yeah, that was the guy that hijacked my game and made me a glitch and made you guys think he was your king."

"Wait until I get my hands on that son of a glitch!"

"You and me both, Taffy." That's when Vanellope remembered something. "Oh, yeah, Callie had a few questions for everybody about what happened when Turbutt got overthrown."

Rancis looked to Calhoun. "About what?"

Calhoun sat down on a giant snack cake. "I just needed to know what everyone remembers about the Cy-Bugs that overran this game."

Ralph looked to the entrance of _Sugar Rush_. "So, kid, did that guy ever tell you how he escaped RoadBlasters after breaking it?"

Vanellope nodded. "Yeah, he told me after I had taken him to the Fungeon..."


	9. Chapter 9

**Vanellope's Bug Problem**  
Chapter Nine

* * *

 _"So, why would everyone think you're dead?"_

 _"Because if someone dies outside their game, they don't regenerate."_

 _"How did you make it here, then?"_

 _"Well, I only just made it out of_ RoadBlasters _(the game that stole my thunder) as it was being unplugged along with_ TurboTime _. Because it happened during game hours, everyone else was in their games doing their shticks. But I knew that news would spread quickly of what I'd done, so I hid in any spots I could find, eventually reaching the basement of_ Fix-It Felix Jr. _"_

 _"Let me guess. It's a game that's about fixing things?"_

 _"Ding-ding!"_

 _"And the player character is Fix-It Felix Jr.?"_

 _"We have a winner. Yeah, his father was a toolmaker who taught Felix Jr. how to fix things with a magic hammer."_

 _"Ah. So, what all does he fix in his game?"_

 _"He fixes an apartment building that's being wrecked by a guy named Wreck-It Ralph."_

 _"Cool. I'll have to meet them sometime."_

 _"Yeah, I think they'll enjoy meeting you. Although Ralph can be a bit of a handful."_

 _"Well, two can play at that game."_

 _"It's actually a one-player game, so..."_

 _I burst out laughing. "So, what did you do in there?"_

 _"I found their code vault and was able to get a look at how the game's data was laid out. Through experimentation, I was able to implant myself into that game as Fix-It Felix Sr."_

 _"Seems kinda dangerous, don't you think? Messing with a game's code like that?"_

 _"I learned my lesson well from_ RoadBlasters _. The goal of acquiring those skills was to ensure that if a game became the most popular in the arcade (and I do hope yours is able to have that honor someday), that the player characters would have someone other than the players to look to for their attention, and hopefully prevent them from being driven to do what I had done."  
_

 _"How would tapping into a game's code stop a character from going Turbo? If I didn't know better, I'd think you're trying to break this game like you did_ RoadBlasters _."_

 _"What would I have to gain from doing that? I don't have my own game anymore, so destroying your game would not benefit me in the slightest in any way, shape, or form."_

 _"So, what exactly is your plan?"_

 _"You see, the only sentient characters in my game were my rival racers, Jet and Set, and our relationship was... less than cordial. So, the only ones to whom I could express my gratitude were the people who played my game. Without their input, I felt like my life had no purpose. My plan here is to have someone that can grant you comparable levels of attention inside the game as players would give you from outside the game."_

 _"And what do you have in mind?"_

 _"Well, the reason I asked about your backstory was so that I'd have someone I could model myself after so that you could revel in doing what you do best without needing to rely on the attention of gamers. That way, it won't be such a crushing blow if your game stops being popular. (Not that I'd wish for any game to lose popularity.) I mean, if you'd rather we built a life-size statue of the subject of your backstory, I can settle for that."_

 _I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, celebrating victories in front of a statue of a nonexistent character. That would totally make me look sane."_

 _"It would probably be healthier, then, if I reprogrammed myself as some sort of father figure to you, is that it?"_

 _I laughed harder. "I'd still know it was you if you did that."_

 _"Doesn't mean I can't at least try."_

 _"Right. How could you possibly expect to mimic my father?"_

 _"Well, I'd hazard to guess that your father was a king?"_

 _"I wouldn't be a princess if he wasn't, now would I?"_

 _"What was his name? King Candy?"_

 _"What gives you that idea?"_

 _"The board game CandyLand; the ruler's name is King Candy."_

 _"Ah. Yeah, my father's name is King Candy."_

 _"Are you game for a little arts and crafts project?"_

 _"What kind of project?"_

 _"Making a life-sized statue of King Candy to get an idea of what I should aim for if I was to take up a role as him in this game."_

 _"I guess." I retied Turbo's wrist to mine. "I know just the place to find supplies."_

 _He flashed a smile and a thumbs-up. "TURBO-TASTIC!"_

 _"Just try to be a little quieter while you're inside, okay, Turbo?"_

 _"Right. My apologies."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Vanellope's Bug Problem  
** Chapter Ten

* * *

Ralph was astonished. "Are you saying that Turbo got his hacking skills by experimenting on our game?"

Vanellope shrugged. "That'd be my guess."

Felix considered the idea. "Well, the way our game plays out would give Turbo an opportunity to get into the code vault."

Calhoun stood up. "What do you mean?"

"After each level, the player's view goes up to the apartment roof, where everyone awards me a medal and then throws Ralph off the roof. Everyone has their attention at the top of the building, so if Turbo was quick enough, he could get into the building and down to the basement without anybody noticing."

"So, why would he have chosen your game to refine his stats as a virus?"

Vanellope hopped into her kart. "Maybe he was jealous of your game lasting longer than his."

Ralph rubbed his chin. "I don't know if I'd chalk it up to that, but he would need a game that would stay plugged in for a long time."

Calhoun stood in front of Vanellope's kart. "You say it like you know it, Sprinkle Toes."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He could've picked any game to practice hacking on before he came to your game."

Felix nodded. " _TurboTime_ was the first game to be removed from the arcade (alongside _RoadBlasters_ ), so it wouldn't make sense to single us out for outlasting his game."

"We don't even know if Turbo was telling you the truth or not about what he was doing before he came to your game."

Vanellope drummed the steering wheel on her kart. "There's no doubt he was telling lies, Callie. I think he thought that I wouldn't live to tell the tale (I bet he thinks I still don't remember how he stole my game), so he was honest about what he did but dishonest about why he did it."

Calhoun nodded. "I'll make sure Turbo is interrogated about everything he did."

"I still don't know how he survived the volcano I almost flew into."

Ralph let off a whoosh of air. "You're not the only one who wants to know."

"Maybe the code room will give us some answers."

Felix was concerned. "Are you sure it'd be wise to go in there?"

Vanellope scoffed. "C'mon, Hammertime. I'm not gonna wreck my own game. I'm just jumping in to find some sort of explanation for how Turbutt's still alive, and as soon as I figure it out, I'll come straight back out."

Ralph nodded. "Just be careful, kid."

Vanellope drove to her castle with the other racers following behind her. She was slightly off put by their presence in light of her mission, but she knew that they were madly curious about how they ended up worshiping a phony king with an unending desire for being the center of attention.

* * *

Felix and Calhoun were above the ensemble on the sergeant's cruiser.

"I'm thinking my hunch on Sugar Barbie may be right."

"What do you mean?"

"There may be some trace of Cy-Bug still in her code."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, if she's programmed to be the ruler of a world made of candy, she'd most likely be programmed to be serene and gentle outside of racing. But she seemed a little feisty with us when she was talking about what she thought was going through Turbo's head."

"Well, I can't imagine anyone would be happy talking about someone taking what rightfully belongs to them."

"I don't know what Sprinkle Toes was programmed to be like, and Turbo's work almost certainly did some kind of permanent damage to her coding, but we may have some conclusive answers when Vanellope goes in the code vault."

Calhoun landed the cruiser at the castle doorstep and turned her attention to the racers gathering on the bridge.

"Alright, I need everyone to wait outside while Vanellope goes down to the code room." She handed a walkie-talkie to Felix. "Fix-It, you go with her and report back to me what you find."

Vanellope looked behind her. "Where's Ralph?"

The wrecker came lumbering from behind out of breath. "So, what's the plan?"

"Vanellope and I are going to the code room to figure out how Turbo is still alive," Felix briefed him.

Calhoun nodded. "And also to assess the condition of Vanellope's own code. I was going to question the other racers about what they remember about the day we first came here."

"I see."

"So, if you can just keep watch on the castle entrance, Wreck-It, while we get to work."

"Will do."

Calhoun hopped onto her cruiser. "Alright, everybody to the finish line."


	11. Chapter 11

**Vanellope's Bug Problem  
** Chapter Eleven

* * *

"Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start."

The code room door opened as Vanellope stuck the napkin into her pocket.

Felix took hold of the licorice tied around Vanellope's waist. "Alright, be careful in there."

"I'm just going in to figure out how Turbo is still alive."

"And Tammy wanted you to check your own code as well for any unrepaired damage."

"I do have doubts about there being any trace of Turbo's code integrated in the game, with the game resetting and everything."

"Best you find out, then." Felix took hold of the licorice.

Vanellope drifted into the code room toward the web of code boxes that held the game together.

She knew where to find her code box and what Turbo had done to integrate himself into the grid as King Candy. The avatar only existed as part of Vanellope's pre-programmed backstory, so King Candy's code box would be dangling from her own and only hers.

As she expected, she found no evidence that Turbo's code was ever integrated into King Candy's. But she remembered how he had gone about doing so, and suspected that he had integrated himself well enough to be able to regenerate in _Sugar Rush_ before she reset the game, expunging Turbo's integration in the process and rendering him vulnerable as in any other game.

Knowing that the only way to prove her theory would be to reinstate Turbo's position as King Candy, and adamantly against such an idea, she was left only with the option of checking her own code box as Calhoun requested.

Felix was suddenly alerted to a slow cry of "What... the... fudge?!"

"Is everything alright in there?"

"What is this stuff?!"

"What's what?"

Vanellope slammed her code box shut and tugged on the licorice until Felix started reeling her back to the entrance.

"Do you want me to take a look?"

Vanellope grabbed Felix's hand. "Let's go find Ralph."

"What did you see in there?"

Vanellope said nothing.

* * *

They arrived at the castle's doorstep minutes later.

Vanellope ran into Ralph's arms as soon as she saw him.

"You alright, kid?"

Vanellope took a few breaths to calm herself. "Yeah."

Calhoun had arrived at that point. "You don't sound alright, Sugar Plum."

All the other racers followed behind her.

Taffyta was the first one to reach the president. "Hey, Vanny, what was Sarge going on about that day our game was almost destroyed?"

"What do you mean?"

"She was asking all of us about what we remembered," Candlehead walked pasted the sergeant, "and how many of us weren't able to escape."

"What did you tell her?"

"Five of us had gotten eaten by those giant bugs that were eating up the game." Citrusella pointed out the racers in question. "Torvald, Nougetsia, Taffyta, The Swizz, and me."

"And then flew into the Diet Cola geyser that Ralph set off?"

All five of the identified racers nodded.

Rancis approached the former glitch. "Any idea why she was asking us about that?"

Vanellope looked to the identified Cy-Bug victims. "Well, it wasn't just you five that were eaten by Cy-Bugs."

"You also got eaten by one?" Torvald asked.

Vanellope nodded. "The geyser fizzed out before I could reach it, and I was restored when I crossed the finish line and reset the game."

"So, if we're all back to normal, we should be good, right?" Swizzle asked.

Vanellope shook her head. "Not quite. You guys are perfectly fine since you were restored after flying into the geyser. But I was restored from being a glitch and a Cy-Bug when I crossed the finish line; since my code was disconnected up to that point, there's still traces of Cy-Bug still in my code."

"Is that what you saw in there?" Felix asked.

"I think it was. Everything in my code box was covered in sticky green jelly."

Ralph looked to Calhoun. "Any idea what that means?"

"It could very well be traces of Cy-Bug in there."

Vanellope looked to Calhoun. "So, if the other racers who got eaten by Cy-Bugs were restored through regeneration, would it work on me?"

"Not if your entire code box was infected. Since you were reintegrated into the grid as a Cy-Bug, the game likely suppressed that part of the code, and it's simply lying dormant for now. If you died in this game and regenerated, it wouldn't clear out the Cy-Bug code, just produce another copy of yourself with your memories intact."

"Does that mean I might turn into a Cy-Bug at some point?"

"Hard to say for sure. To my knowledge, you're the only sprite whose code someone tried to delete, and I'm in no position to experiment on any games to find answers. But it would be in the game's best interest to be prepared for such a scenario."

Gloyd looked to Vanellope. "I still can't believe Turbo took over the game the night it was plugged in."

"Like I said, he had a way of playing with people's emotions..."


	12. Chapter 12

**Vanellope's Bug Problem**  
Chapter Twelve

* * *

 _I had brought Turbo to the throne room, where I had laid out supplies for building a King Candy statue. I had gathered materials according to what I remembered as part of his appearance. Gumdrops, silk doilies, fruit snacks, marshmallows, etc.  
_

 _"So, what exactly are we doing by building a statue of my father, Turbo?"_

 _"I'm hoping to get an idea of what I should strive to achieve in re-texturing myself as King Candy. If I've done everything correctly, I should come out looking just like him."_

 _"You know, the game can function just fine as programmed, and there are 14 other racers in the game to serve as company."_

 _"As I said, I'm trying to make up for my own past mistakes. I'm fully aware that this game is perfectly stable for now, but I'm here to ensure that nobody falls victim to their own ego as being part of a popular game so that if the worst happens, and gamers start playing this game less and less, they won't end up going Turbo over it. Trust me, I never once thought I'd become so thirsty for attention that I'd be driven mad by another game stealing my spotlight."_

 _"How many games have come and gone from this arcade since you trashed RoadBlasters? And how many of them were succeeded by better games? And how many characters have gone Turbo?_ _"_

 _"Kid, I can't follow up on every little thing that happens in the arcade, especially when everyone thinks I'm dead and would prefer that that be the truth, and would ensure I was dead if they found out I was still alive."_

 _"Which is why I trust you as much as that Ralph guy from that fixing game you mentioned before."_

 _"How do you mean?"_

 _"The way you painted him, he seems like the kind of guy who breaks anything he touches, just like you. In fact, I trust him more, because he was_ programmed _to break things."_

 _"I'd be drawing a lot of suspicions detectives on my trail if I was going around crashing every racing game that came into this arcade. I almost didn't make it out of_ RoadBlasters _before it got unplugged, and I most likely wouldn't be so lucky if I tried that again on another game."_

 _"So, what exactly do you plan to do once you re-texture yourself as King Candy?"_

 _"I'll keep watch over the track during the races and award the winning racers with their prizes. When the arcade closes and all the racers are done for the day, we'll go about with the regular routine."_

 _"Like the Random Roster Race."_

 _"What's that?"_

 _"After the arcade closes, all the racers get together for a race to decide who will be player avatars the following day. The first nine racers to cross the finish line will be playable the next day."_

 _"Is that what all the ruckus on the racetrack was all about when I got here?"_

 _"Yeah, all the racers have their own unique abilities when racing, which are unlocked with power-ups, or made for use with the scenery on the track."_

 _"And it isn't too dangerous a course to run through in spite of all that?"_

 _"That's what the marshmallow fairies are for. To follow the racers and get them back in the game if they fall into a hazard."_

 _"I see. Quite a competitive game this is."_

 _That's when Sour Bill came in. "Pardon me, Princess."_

 _"Oh, hello, Sour Bill."_

 _He looked up at the visitor. "And who might you be?"_

 _"This is Turbo. He's from an older game from the arcade."_

 _Turbo gave Sour Bill a wave. "Salutations."_

 _"What brings you here?"_

 _"I'm here to help the fine folks of this game get acclimated to the arcade environment."_

 _Sour Bill looked at me. "He hasn't given you any trouble, has he, Princess?"_

 _"Not yet. If he does, I'll let you know."_

 _He gave a suspicious look at the statue we were building. "If you say so. Just be sure to get your rest before the arcade opens."_

 _"I will."_

 _As soon as Sour Bill had left, Turbo looked over the work we had completed at that point. "Alright, how about you work on the head, and I can work on the rest of the body?"_

 _"Are you sure?"_

 _"You'll have a much easier time describing the wardrobe and physique than the face."_

 _"Fair point."_

 _"Right. So, the sooner we get started, the sooner we can finish."_

 _"You can't rush art."_

 _"Agreed."_

* * *

 _We got the sculpture made before too long.  
_

 _"Looks good enough to eat."_

 _"TURBO-TASTIC if I do say so myself."_

 _"Yeah, I think we nailed it."_

 _"Shall we head to the code room and see how we did, mademoiselle?"_

 _"Lead the way, my little doggie chew toy."_

 _"Alright. But first, we're going to need a spotter to pull us out when we're done."_

 _"I'm on it."_


	13. Chapter 13

**Vanellope's Bug Problem**  
Chapter Thirteen

* * *

Sergeant Calhoun had been staring intensely at Vanellope's face for the entire time she was talking. "Hmm..."

"What's on your mind, Tammy?" Felix asked.

"I've been noticing a green glow from Sugar Plum's eyes whenever she talks about Turbo."

Ralph looked to Calhoun. "Any idea what that could mean?"

"I'm guessing this might be the onset of the dormant Cy-Bug code surfacing."

Vanellope's eyes were chocolate brown. "Do you know what's causing that, Callie?"

Calhoun started walking laps around the assembly. "Well, I know what happens to a sprite when they get eaten by a Cy-Bug, being the secret final boss of my game, and the racers who fell victim to the Cy-Bugs provided a full assessment of what went through their heads during their time as Cy-Bug hybrids. Based on what they told me, as well as my own experiences, a Cy-Bug victim does undergo huge changes after being assimilated."

"Like what?"

"Well, since you're the main character of a candy-themed game, it's most likely that you were programmed to be happy and gentle as a character when not racing, just as Fix-It is programmed to be a nice guy all around and Wreck-It is programmed to fight for what's rightfully his."

"And?"

"You seem a little quicker to anger than I would expect from a sprite like you, and your narration about how Turbo took over this game has been dripping with steadily increasing anger."

"Are you saying I'll turn into a Cy-Bug at any second?!" Green light flashed from her eyes.

Calhoun put a hand on her holster. "If your anger is high enough, most likely."

Ralph watched as Vanellope tried to calm herself. "So, as long as she keeps her cool, she should be okay?"

"I would hazard to guess that." Just then, Calhoun's watch started beeping. "This is Sergeant. Come in."

"Sergeant, we got a problem in the game."

"What is it, Kohut?"

"There's been a jailbreak."

Everyone except Calhoun responded with a shocked "WHAT?!"

"Send out a search team and find the escapees NOW!"

"Already done, Sergeant. He's headed for Grand Central Station at this time."

"Alert all soldiers. Alert all soldiers."

"Roger."

"Over and out."

Vanellope looked to Calhoun. "Turbutt escaped, didn't he?"

"By the looks of things."

Felix scratched his head. "Where could he be going?"

Ralph shrugged. "There's not many places he can run off to, even if there wasn't anyone to stop him from getting there."

Taffyta looked in the direction of the game's entrance. "Is there anyone to stop Turbo, wherever he's going?"

Calhoun adjusted her hair. "He'd definitely be causing a ruckus wherever he's going. But we'll know where he's trying to go soon enough."

Her watch beeped again. "The escapee has commandeered a vehicle and is headed for your location."

"Copy that." Calhoun whipped out her cruiser and made course for the entrance.

Ralph was stupefied. "What could that guy be thinking?"

Felix could only shrug. "We'll just have to hope that Tammy catches him in time."

"Preferably alive." Vanellope folded her arms. "I have a few questions for that bonehead."

"Like what?" Rancis asked.

She didn't get a chance to respond before a certain exclamation sent a glitch down her spine.

"TURBO-TASTIC!"

* * *

Turbo was surprised when Vanellope stopped his kart dead with her foot, sending him sailing headfirst into the front door of her castle. He gripped his head as he looked up at the daggers flying from Vanellope's eyes.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Sore Loser."

"Good morning to you, too."

Vanellope grabbed Turbo by his suit collar. "You have some nerve barging in here like you own the place!"

"P-Please, I just wanted to talk!"

Vanellope dragged him down the bridge. "Why should I listen to you, you rotten little thief?"

Turbo saw her eyes glowing green to the point of blinding him. "W-What's going on?!"

"I'm gonna beat the jelly out of you, Turbutt!"

Ralph, Felix, and the _Sugar Rush_ racers watched as Vanellope started to grow wings, extra legs, and the body of an insect, rapidly expanding in size as she did.

"Oh my land!"

"Vanellope!"

Ralph took off down the bridge, trying desperately to follow the now airborne VanelloBug, who had Turbo clutched tightly by his suit collar. His progress was hampered by the lack of a suitable kart.

Felix turned to the racers. "You might want to go inside the castle. Just to be safe."

The racers agreed to the idea and headed through the doors.

Candlehead was the last one inside. "If you find any chocolate on the bridge, don't eat it."


	14. Chapter 14

**Vanellope's Bug Problem**  
Chapter Fourteen

* * *

Calhoun was flying around, scanner in hand, trying to find Turbo. A sudden blip from her scanner alerted her to the presence of a Cy-Bug in the game.

"Slick." She headed straight for where the blip was, preparing herself with a weapon.

Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw VanelloBug heading for Diet Cola Mountain with Turbo in her grasp. She started speeding up toward the mutated racer, weapon drawn.

She could vaguely hear VanelloBug as she made course to land on the summit, in the field of Mentos.

"Alright, Turbutt. You better have a good reason for coming here, or I'm gonna eat your brains out of your helmet!"

She got close enough to hear Turbo talking.

"H-Hey, you wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?" There was a tiny sound of glass breaking. "You hit a guy _with_ glasses. Heh, I can see Ralph's had an influence on you."

The sergeant lowered herself close enough to confront Turbo while still bracing herself for an attack from VanelloBug. "Quite the troublemaker, aren't we, buster?"

"Look, I just had something to tell Vanellope, alright?"

"Why should I trust someone who stole my game and tried to kill me?"

"What did you think was going to happen when you broke out of prison and came barreling back here?"

"I heard the soldiers talking about Vanellope having a virus in her system and thought I'd come try to help."

"I wasn't a Cy-Bug until you showed up!"

"I didn't know the specifics of the whole thing; I just thought I'd try to make up for my mistakes."

"Like I'm gonna fall for that story a second time."

"I promise I'm truly offering to assist in getting rid of this virus! You have my word!"

"How do I know you're not trying to steal my game from me again?"

"I'd have bigger problems to deal with, namely your current form. And I haven't figured out a way to fully delete a character's code for the entire time I was King Candy, so..."

"Alright. You can help by GETTING YOUR ***BANG*** ING FACE OUT OF MY ***BANG*** ING GAME AND BACK TO YOUR ***BANG*** ING CELL IN CALLIE'S ***BANG*** ING GAME!"

Another shot rang out from behind VanelloBug, who saw Calhoun with her gun drawn.

She picked up something from the edge of the Mentos field. "You were starting to lay eggs." She put a bullet through the egg in her hand.

Turbo returned her gaze to VanelloBug. "You'd still run the risk of becoming a Cy-Bug while the arcade is open, and the gamers will think the game is broken."

"I _can_ leave the game now, with my glitch being fixed."

Calhoun walked up to Turbo. "The arcade opens in an hour, so we'll see how the day plays out. But first, we need to rendezvous with the others and work out a plan." She laid down her cruiser. "I want him on the bridge in one piece, Sprinkle Toes, so we can all question him."

Turbo laughed nervously as he was flown back to the castle. "Well, I must say, you do look like a sweet treat if I say so myself."

"Shut up, Turbo."

* * *

Ralph caught sight of VanelloBug and Calhoun flying back from Diet Cola Mountain.

"Hey, Ralph! Catch!"

He caught sight of Turbo dropping from her grip and caught him as he fell.

"You just couldn't stay away from this game, could you?"

VanelloBug landed on the bridge, obstructing any escape route for Turbo.

Calhoun followed in short order. "Alright, Dead Man Driving. We know you're up to something."

Taffyta nodded. "Yeah, Vanellope's been telling us how you took over this game and brainwashed us into worshiping you."

"I just wanted to race again!" Turbo's breathing bordered on tear suppression.

VanelloBug crossed her front limbs. "So, why make the whole game about you? Was it not enough being a selectable avatar?"

"Listen, please..."

"You made a choice to warp this game to be your very own ego pump and tried to kill me so you could do that! There's nothing you can do that can make me trust you in anything you have planned!"

"Do you want to be stuck the way you are? The game's gonna get unplugged if you miss out on the upcoming races."

VanelloBug cooled down a smidge but not much. "Citrusella can take my place on the roster."

"You're still going to need someone to work the code for that."

"Ralph's game has the characters from the Qbert game programmed as a bonus level, so Hammertime knows how to code games."

"That may be so, but _Sugar Rush_ is a far more complex game than _Fix-It Felix, Jr._ "

"And yet you were able to build the skills necessary to steal my game by tinkering in their basement."

Ralph looked to Turbo. "What did you do to our game, anyway?"

Felix scratched his head. "And how did you get in there?"

Turbo sighed. "If only to satiate the curious..."


	15. Chapter 15

**Vanellope's Bug Problem**  
Chapter Fifteen

* * *

 **I had just put RoadBlasters through a frenzy and had turned tail to get back to my game before RoadBlasters was unplugged. I had never driven faster in my life before then as I darted through the power cord.**

 **I made it out of RoadBlasters just as the plug was pulled, and found myself riding over the Twins' karts like a ramp. I came down to see that my game had also been unplugged.**

 **As I was processing what had just happened, I felt the Twins punch me in the shoulders.**

 **"Have you completely lost your mind?!"**

 **"What in da woild was dat aww about?!"**

 **I said nothing as I parked my kart where my game had been plugged in. All I could do was process that everything I ever had in the world was now gone.  
**

 **"I guess we're going to have to find a new game to live in."**

 **"Awe you cwazy?"**

 **"Who'd let us live in their game?"**

 **"Dey definitewy won't wet you wive wit dem!"**

 **"Not after what you did!"**

 **"Well, we can't just sit in Game Central Station forever."**

 **"So, what's da pwan, den?"**

 **"If no one will take us in?"**

 **"Well, you two would probably have better luck finding places to stay than me. I'd probably hurt what small chances you have with persuading someone to open their doors, so maybe it'd be best if you two sought shelter without me."**

 **Crash shrugged. "I tink dat sounds agweeabwe."**

 **Burn nodded. "So, what game should we look at first?"**

 **As they headed off to contemplate their options, I re-boarded my kart and made my way to _Fix-It Felix Jr._**

* * *

 **I cut the engine as I approached the threshold of the game in order to assess the situation without being noticed. There was a game in progress, and all the characters were on the building acting out their scenario of Felix repairing the building being destroyed by Ralph as the big man fought to reclaim his land.  
**

 **I hopped out and slowly wheeled my kart behind the pile of bricks at the far end of the game to see how the game played out.  
**

 **The closest I came to being spotted was when Ralph was bulldozed into the dump during the introductory cutscene, but Ralph's obligation to look toward the building as he complained of his stump being moved stopped him from being aware of my presence. Gene being thrown off the building as Ralph started wrecking the building landed shy of the entrance, so he didn't notice me either.**

 **The cutscene after the player won a level brought everyone's attention to the apartment roof, including the player's, which gave me my chance to sneak into the basement through the front door before Ralph was thrown off the roof.**

 **Of course, I had to leave my kart buried under the bricks in order to get inside fast enough.**

 **I found the code vault in the basement, but it was guarded by an NES controller. It seemed to me that I'd need a code to get inside, but it puzzled me as to how I was supposed to get it.**

 **I spent a number of weeks in the basement listening to the game sprites talking amongst themselves, gathering that Ralph was a frequent customer at Tapper's. I myself had been there many times, and had sometimes found napkins with codes written on them. I decided then to dig through the dump while everyone was busy living out in game mode in search of the code in question.**

 **I found the code after three weeks, and as soon as I had the chance, I made my way to the vault door and inputted the code on the napkin.**

 **Success!**

 **The inside environment was an endless realm of zero gravity surrounding a network of codes held together with strings. I started swimming about and began examining the intricate patterns of the game's code. If I could figure out how to embed myself in the game and take the place of the main character, I could integrate myself into the next racing game that rolled into Litwak's arcade.**

 **The learning process was entirely trial and error, but through my endeavors, I had a number of key elements down:**

 **First, I would need to embed my own code into that of the main character's backstory subject to be able to take their place. (In the case of _Fix-It Felix Jr._ , it was Fix-It Felix Sr.) But as soon as the displaced character completed a round of work in their game, the code reset itself back to normal.**

 **Second, I could rewrite character memories by removing the memory codes from the grid and ensuring that they were sealed away. After that, they would be unable to differentiate fictitious roles from genuine roles.  
**

 **Once I was satisfied with what I had learned, I kept an ear out for any mention of an incoming racing game. As soon as I became aware of it, I left Fix-It Felix Jr. during arcade hours, unearthed my kart from the bricks, and sped to Grand Central Station to find the new game.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Vanellope's Bug Problem**  
Chapter Sixteen

* * *

VanelloBug folded her arms and settled onto the walkway. "So, you really are the reason for all of the arcade's problems."

Felix scratched under his hat. "Well, I suppose that explains why I felt a little off of my game sometimes after _TurboTime_ got unplugged."

VanelloBug looked to Felix's wife. "Hey, Callie, how much longer before the arcade opens?"

Calhoun looked at her watch. "Forty-five minutes."

"Alright." She stood back up. "Wynnchel, Duncan, please escort Turbo to the Fungeon. The same cell he kept me in before Ralph bailed me out." She turned around. "Callie, if you could follow them to make sure he doesn't escape. And if he offers instructions for replacing roster avatars or bug fixes, have them written down so that Hammertime can make the necessary changes."

Calhoun nodded. "Lead the way, Pastry Men."

"Right this way."

As soon as they were out of sight, VanelloBug let out a breath of relief.

Moments later, she collapsed back into her normal form.

Vanellope felt herself all over and gasped with excitement. "I'm back to normal!"

Ralph put his hands on his hips. "For now, at least."

Felix rubbed his chin. "I sure hope we can get your code cleaned out soon."

Taffyta looked around. "So, do you think you'll be up for a day of racing, or should Citrusella take your place?"

"We'll see what Callie has to say when she gets back. But I think as long as Turbutt stays locked up, I should be fine for a day of racing."

Ralph shrugged. "He's lived in this game for half his life, and he did manage to escape the prison in _Hero's Duty_."

"Doesn't mean he can escape the cell he built for me when he was King Candy."

"If he can live in my game long enough to know how to hack himself into any game he wants without being noticed, or break himself out of a holding cell in a modern-day space shooter game, I doubt there's anything the guy can't do."

"So, what should be done with him then, General Gassy?"

"Let's see what Sarge gathers from Turbo when she gets back."

Calhoun and the donut cops arrived at that point.

"So, what's the word, Callie?"

"Alright, we have Turbo chained up in the cell you requested." She pulled out a tablet. "He did provide instructions on changing a roster lineup, which I think is in order just in case the worst happens."

Vanellope straightened her jacket. "Well, we've only seen it happen when Turbo was with me, and if he stays in the cell, we won't have any problems."

"I don't want to take more chances than I need to, Sugar Plum."

Ralph thought of an idea. "How about we let her race just for today to see if she can handle it. If there's any trouble, she can drop off the next day's roster, and we can have a look at her."

Calhoun wasn't bought. "And how would we know if there is any trouble?"

"I can see _Sugar Rush_ from my game, and Vanellope and I have caught glances of one another during gameplay in both of our games. The racers can communicate any signs of trouble through their victory dances after winning a race."

"How?"

"If someone thinks they see Turbo on the loose, they'd show a thumbs up. If Vanellope thinks she's going to transform, they'd hug their trophy to their stomach like a gummy bear."

"And how would that be effective in getting the message to others?"

"I see _Sugar Rush_ during my game's victory cutscene as the Nicelanders prepare to throw me off the building. Normally, I just scream when I fall off the building. But if I see the Turbo signal, I'll scream 'NOOOO!' as I fall off the building. And if I see the bug signal, I'll start the next round with a slightly different inflection of my catchphrase."

Felix looked to Ralph. "What do you mean?"

"The normal inflection is 'I'M _GONNA WRECK_ IT!', but the code for Vanellope feeling off her game is ' _I'M_ GONNA _WRECK_ IT!'. You got it?"

"I think I got it."

Calhoun looked to Vanellope. "Are you sure Turbo won't escape from his cell?"

"It took Ralph a couple blows to break down the door, and Turbo can't do too much damage if he wants to take over the game for himself."

"Alright. We'll keep the roster as it is for today. But after that, you'll stay off the roster until further notice. Everybody remember Wreck-It's signals?"

"Yes, ma'am!" all the racers responded together.

Calhoun turned to Ralph and Felix. "Alright, boys. Let's get back to our games."

And with that, the three of them headed off.


End file.
